


Wait a Minute

by prompt_fills



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Angst, Drabble, Drabble Sequence, M/M, Time Loop, cressiweek2k17
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-09 07:26:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12271719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prompt_fills/pseuds/prompt_fills
Summary: Leo is stuck in a time loop and Cristiano has no idea.





	Wait a Minute

**Author's Note:**

> Drabble sequence, 12×100 words forming one story.

Cristiano nearly has a heart attack when he stumbles upon Messi.

“Messi? How… What are you doing here?”

Messi is on the floor, hair tossed up in all directions. The look on his face makes it clears he’s not quite there.

“Are you okay?” Cristiano kneels down beside him, trying to remember the procedure when one suspects someone has a concussion.

“This is hopeless,” Messi says.

Cristiano has never heard that much defeat in Messi’s voice before and it’s like a cold hand clenching around his throat. “What happened to you?”

Messi checks the time on his phone. “Nothing. Yet.”

Cris goes visibly still when he notices Leo on the floor. “Messi. Can I help you?”

“No. It’s not going to work,” Leo says. He lost his grip on this reality. He’s losing track of time but he’s not losing his memories.

Worried, Cris steps closer. Ah. The inexplicably protective streak Leo found out about several days ago.

“I don’t have a concussion, Cris.”

Surprise flickers over Cris’ features but Leo can’t tell if it’s because of the name or because Cris hasn’t actually said anything about a concussion yet. He forgets Cris doesn’t recall the conversations they’ve been having.

Cristiano startles at the sight of Messi. It’s not even the shock of seeing him here, it’s more the way he looks, ill and exhausted like he hasn’t slept for days.

“Messi. Are you okay?”

Messi gives him a tired smile. “I couldn’t find you,” he says.

Cristiano approaches him as carefully as one would approach a spooked animal. “Find me? Where?”

“When,” Messi corrects, making zero sense.

“Okay,” Cristiano says soothingly. Anything not to make the situation worse. “But you found me now.”

Messi shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s too late. I won’t convince you in time.”

“I think I figured it out,” Leo says when he finds Cris. It’s nearly dawn, so he quickly goes on, “We need to change the past so that it _matches the future_ , that’s the only way we can reach another day.”

Cris looks puzzled. Leo admits he could have eased him into it a little more carefully. But Cris needs to get on with the programme _now_. There isn’t much time.

Cris takes one step closer to him and asks, “Messi? What are you doing here?”

Leo wants to scream.

He lost count on how many resets he’s been through.

Cristiano’s heart does a funny flip when he runs into Messi.

Messi looks like death warmed over, dark bags under his eyes and traces of dried blood smeared on his fingers.

“M-Messi?”

Messi glances up and says, tone sharp, “I’m not feeling it today.”

“What are you talking about?”

Messi doesn’t reply.

“Are you okay?” Cristiano inches closer but he stops when Messi suddenly springs to his feet. Next thing Cristiano knows are Messi’s lips smashing into his. He pushes Messi away, making a show of wiping his mouth. “What are you doing?!”

“You won’t remember,” Messi laughs without mirth.

Leo takes the stairs two at the time. “I found a way to break the cycle,” he says in a rush of relief the moment he sees Cris.

“Messi, are-”

“Yes, I am okay. No, I don’t have a concussion.”

Cris looks bewildered and Leo feels a twinge of sympathy. He would be pretty confused as well, had their situation been reversed. “What cycle?”

He’s losing time.

“Can’t explain. Just trust me on this, okay? I need your number.” He needs more than that. But first, he has to memorize the number because that’s the only way to keep it.

Cristiano awakes earlier than usual. His phone is ringing insistently. It’s his private number and anyone who has it should know better than to call him at this ungodly hour.

He reaches for it blindly, answering the call. “What?” he barks.

A relieved sigh comes through the line. “Don’t hang up on me, Cris.”

Cristiano wants to do just that.

“I know you want to do just that.”

“Give-”

“There’s a good reason. I need your help because this day is just going to keep on repeating over and over again and you won’t even know it.”

Cristiano hangs up.

It’s not about what Leo has done wrong. It’s about what he hasn’t done at all.

The white sphere of energy surrounds him, the world quickly fading into white.

Another failed attempt.

Leo prefers not to think about how many days it takes until he’s able to navigate the minefield of the phone conversation with Cris.

For three days straight, Cris hangs up on him before Leo manages to explain anything.

It takes twice as long until Leo learns what exactly to say to make Cris _believe_ him.

Then it’s another week before he convinces Cris to work with him.

“There you are,” Messi says, startling Cristiano.

“How did you find me?” Cristiano snaps, annoyed. “No one should know about this place, much less-”

“Much less have the access codes, yes I know. You gave me the codes. We don’t have time for this now,” Messi says nonsensically. “If I tell you I’m stuck in a time loop, you don’t believe me and it takes about an hour which I can’t spare today to persuade you. I need to try something before the sun is up. You have to give me-”

“Wait. Time loop?”

“Not again,” Messi pinches his brow.

Leo has tried just about everything, including things he would never admit doing.

“Worst case scenario, this doesn’t work either and I’ll just start over again tomorrow,” he tells Cris.

There isn’t much time left, the white sphere has already appeared at Leo’s fingertips, engulfing his hands in soft light.

“Grab it,” Leo instructs seconds before the reset.

The expression on Cris’ face becomes guarded. He wavers, hands stretched out, but he doesn’t touch the clock.

“Cris,” Leo makes sure his voice is pleading enough.

Cris nods, steeling himself before his fingers entwine with Leo’s.

The time resets around them.

Cristiano blinks his eyes open into the exact same day he’s been through yesterday. Panic sets in.

His phone is ringing and sure enough, it’s Messi. “Don’t hang up-”

“Messi! It didn’t work!”

There is a gasp and some rustling. He supposes Messi must have dropped his phone. It makes Cristiano wonder how many repetitive days has Messi been through.

When Messi’s voice comes through the line again, it’s creaky and emotional. “You remember it?”

It means Messi remembers too. Cristiano sighs, his racing heart calming. “I thought I got stuck in the loop instead of you, not with you.”

Cris sounds perfectly calm over the speakerphone. “Are you okay?”

Leo’s lips twitch. “Just wondering how the sphere will react. Or do you think there will be two spheres?”

“We’ll find out soon.”

“Yeah. Bye, Cris.”

The first whips of energy start gathering but instead of forming into the familiar clock, the sphere keeps growing until it explodes in tiny white specks, fractions of time.

Leo squeezes his eyes shut, then opens them slowly.

It’s a new day. More than that, it’s a different day.

He scrambles for his phone to dial Cris’ number.

Not all things have to change.


End file.
